Adjustable ratchet wrench



May 31, 1949. A. E. NORMAN ADJUSTABLE RATCHET WRENCH Filed Sept. 16, 1947 I v INVENTOR. Ari/7w E. Nor/770v? WWO Patented May 31, 1949 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to wrenches and more particularly to an adjustable wrench of the ratchet type.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved adjustable wrench of the ratchet type which is very simple in construction, easy to use and reliable in operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved adjustable ratchet wrench which is inexpensive to manufacture, sturdy in construction and which may be selectively set for ratchet action so that a nut or the like may be rotated either in a forward direction of rotation or a rearward direction of rotation, or the ratchet action may be eliminated so that rotation of a nut in either direction may be accomplished by the wrench with a single setting.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, partly in cross-section of an adjustable ratchet wrench constructed in accordance with the present invention, the wrench being set for ratchet action when the wrench handle is moved upwardly.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the wrench set so as to eliminate ratchet action and permitting the wrench to be used to rotate a nut in either direction.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the wrench set for ratchet action when the wrench handle is moved downwardly.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 4--4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 66 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 'l-l of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional detail view taken on line 8--8 of Figure 4,

Referring to the drawings, H designates the body of the wrench, said body being hollow and being formed at its forward end with a gripping jaw l2. Pivotally connected at I3 to body II and housed therein is a swingable member [4. The forward edge of member [4 is formed with a keyhole groove l5 and slidably positioned in said groove is the correspondingly shaped rib It carried by a movable gripping jaw ll adapted to cooperate with jaw I2. The rib I6 is formed with worm teeth I8 which are engaged by a worm l9 journaled in a recess 20 formed in member l4,

whereby the gripping jaw I? may be adjusted in position with respect to the jaw l2. Member M is biased forwardly by a spring 2i bearing between a transverse partition 22 provided in body H and a notch 23 formed in the rear edge of member l4. Said rear edge is formed with an additional notch 24 spaced below notch 23, as viewed in Figure 1, thus defining a first lug 25 between the notches 23 and 24, and a second lug 25 at the lower rear corner of member l4. When there is no restraint on member [4, said member is free to pivot around its securing pin l3, except for the forward bias exerted on said member i l by spring 2 I. Said spring, under these conditions, causes the top end of member [4 to abut the upper forward wall portion, shown at I2, of the body member ll.

Pivotally connected at Z'l to the rear portion of body I l and partly housed therein is a handle 28. Handle 28 has a forward portion 29 which is adapted to abut the respective lugs 25 and 26 in its opposite positions of rotation around pin 2i and to be received in the notch 2A in an intermediate position of rotation thereof. When the handle 28 is in the full line position shown in Figure 1, member i4 is restrained against rearward pivoting around pin it, and torque may be applied to a nut 3f), or the like, received between the jaws i2 and ll to rotate said nut clockwise, as viewed in Figure 1, said torque being developed by rotating handle 28 clockwise. When the handle 28 is in the full line position shown in Figure 1, the forward portion 29 thereof abuts the lower edge of partition 22, said lower edge acting as a stop means for the handle.

When the handle 28 is in the position shown in Figure 3, the forward portion 29 thereof abuts lug 26 and the bottom wall 3| of body ll, and counterclockwise torque may be applied to a nut 39 by rotating the handle counterclockwise.

As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the upper and lower surfaces of the tip of forward portion 29 are beveled to facilitate the abutment thereof with the respective lugs 25 and 26. Said lugs have abutment surfaces which are angled slightly toward each other so that the tip of the forward portion 29 will be readily disengaged therefrom when the handle 23 is rotated to obtain ratchet action.

The inner portion of handle 28 is formed with an aperture 32 and passing through said aperture is a transverse pin member 33 rotatively secured in the side walls of the hollow body ll. Pin member 33 carries a radial lug 34 engageable with the wall of aperture 32 and may be rotated to a desired position by a manually operable lever 35 secured to an end of pin member 33 externally of the housing I I. When the lug 34 is directed upwardly, as shown in Figure 8, handle 28 may be rotated counterclockwise to the dotted line position thereof shown in Figure 1, but no further. In this position the forward tip of portion 29 is aligned with notch 24 and the member [4 is unrestrained to pivot counterclockwise except by biasing spring 2i. Therefore, when nut 36 is being rotated clockwise by the wrench, the grip of the jaws l2 and l! thereon may be released after each stroke by rotating handle 28 counterclockwise as far as is permitted by lug 34, i. e., to the dotted position thereof in Figure 1, whereby a new position of engagement of the jaws l2 and I! on the nut 30 may be obtained by further counterclockwise rotation of said handle. The nut may be then rotated clockwise through another stroke and the process repeated until the nut is fully tightened. The operator may therefore completely tighten the nut 30 without changing his grip on the handle 28.

Similarly, when the lug 34; is directed downwardly, the nut may be completely loosened without changing the operators grip on the handle 28, since after each counterclockwise loosening stroke, the handle may be rotated clockwise only until the tip of portion 29 is aligned with notch 24, thereby releasing the member l4 and permitting further clockwise rotation of the handle 28 until a new gripping position of laws 12 and [1 on the nut is obtained.

When the lug 34 is in a horizontal position in aperture 32, clockwise movement of handle '28 swings tip portion 29 thereof into abutment with lug 25, as shown in Figure 1, whereby member I 4 is positively restrained, and the jaws l2 and I1 do not relax their grip on the nut. counterclockwise movement of said handle swings tip 29 into abutment with lug 265, as shown in Figure 3, and again the jaws i2 and 57 maintain their grip on the nut. Under these conditions the wrench may be employed to tighten or loosen the nut in the conventional manner.

Lever 35 is provided with a spring-pressed ball detent 36 which is engageable with spherical recesses 37 formed in the adjacent side wall of body II to releasably lock said lever in the various desired positions of adjustment of lug 34. Figure 1 shows the lever 35 adjusted for clockwise rotation of the nut as. Figure 3 shows said lever adjusted for counterclockwise rotation of said nut. Figure 2 shows the lever 35 adjusted so that the nut may be rotated in either direction, as with an ordinary wrench.

While a specific embodiment of an adjustable wrench of the ratchet type has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A wrench comprising a main hollow body member formed at its forward end with a first jaw element, a swingable member pivoted in said main body member and carrying a second jaw element at its forward end adapted to cooperate with said first jaw element, spring means biasing said swingable member forwardly, the rear edge of said swingable member being formed with a pair of spaced projections defining a notch therebetween, a handle pivotally secured in said main body member and having a forward tip portion swingable to abut either of said spaced projections and adapted to enter said notch, and adjustable means limiting pivoting movement of said handle so that at times said forward tip portion may not be swung into abutting relation to one of said projections and at other times may not be swung into abutting relation to the other of said projections.

2. A wrench comprising a main hollow body member formed at its forward end with a first jaw element, a swingable member pivoted in said main body member and carrying a second jaw element at its forward end adapted to cooperate with said first jaw element, spring means biasing said swingable member forwardly, means carried by said swingable member for adjusting the position of said second jaw element with respect to the first jaw element, the rear edge of said swingable member being formed with a pair of spaced projections defining a notch therebetween, a handle pivotally secured in said main body member and having a forward tip portion swingr able to abut eit of said spaced projections and receivable in formed wi carried by 1. main body member and cooperable with aperture to limit pivoting movement of said handle so that at times said forward tip portion may not be swung into abutting relation with one of said projections and at other times may not be swung into abutting relation with the other of said projections.

3. A wrench comprising a main hollow body member formed at its forward end with a first jaw element, a swingable member pivotally secured in said main body member and carrying a second jaw element at its forward end adapted to cooperate with said first jaw element, spring means biasing said swingable member forwardly, the rear edge of said swingable member being formed with a notch defining spaced abutments on each side thereof, a handle pivotally secured in said main body member and having a forward tip portion receivable in said notch and engageable with said abutments, and adjustable means carried by said main body member and cooperating with said handle to limit swinging movement of said tip portion so that at times said tip portion may not be swung into engagement with one of said abutments and at other times may not be swung into engagement with the other of said abutments.

4. A wrench comprising a main hollow body member formed at its forward end with a first jaw element, a swingable member pivotally secured in said body member and carrying a second jaw element at its forward end adapted to cooperate with said first jaw element, spring means biasing said swingable member forwardly, the rear edge of said swingable member being formed with a notch defining spaced abutments on each side thereof, a handle pivotally secured in said body member and having a forward tip receivable in said notch and engageable with said abutments, said handle being formed with an aperture, a shaft member rotatably secured to said body mean-ber and passing transversely through said aperture, and a radial lug on said shaft adapted to cooperate with said aperture to limit swinging movement of the forward tip of the handle.

5. A wrench comprising a main hollow-body member formed at its forward end with a first notch, said handle being i aperture, and adjustable means s so.

jaw element, a swingable member pivotally secured in said body member and provided with an adjustable jaw element adapted to cooperate with said first jaw element, spring means bearing between said body member and said swingable member to bias the swingable member forwardly, the rear edge of said swingable member being formed with spaced projections defining a notch therebetween, a handle pivotally secured in said body member and having a forward tip receivable in said notch and engageable with said projections, said handle being formed with an aperture, a shaft member rotatably secured to said body member and passing transversely through said aperture, a radial lug on said shaft adapted to cooperate at times with said aperture to limit swinging movement of the forward tip of the handle, and a lever carried by said shaft externally of the body member for adjusting the position of said radial lug.

ARTHUR E. NORMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,163,407 Hill Dec. 7, 1915 1,198,243 Leonard Sept. 12, 1916 2,069,842 Nielsen Feb. 9, 1937 2,426,191 Feiring Aug. 6, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 209,564 Germany May 6, 1909 

